Wednesday, April 8, 2015

About the book: Present Day—With the grand opening of her new art gallery and a fairytale wedding just around the corner, Sera James feels she’s stumbled into a charmed life—until a brutal legal battle against fiancé William Hanover threatens to destroy the perfectly planned future she’s planned before it even begins. Now, after an eleventh-hour wedding ceremony and a callous arrest, William faces a decade in prison for a crime he never committed, and Sera must battle the scathing accusations that threaten her family and any hope for a future.

1942—Kája Makovsky narrowly escaped occupied Prague in 1939, and was forced to leave her half-Jewish family behind. Now a reporter for the Daily Telegraph in England, Kája discovers the terror has followed her across the Channel in the shadowy form of the London Blitz. When she learns Jews are being exterminated by the thousands on the continent, Kája has no choice but to return to her mother city, risking her life to smuggle her family to freedom and peace.

Connecting across a century through one little girl, a Holocaust survivor with a foot in each world, these two women will discover a kinship that springs even in the darkest of times. In this tale of hope and survival, Sera and Kája must cling to the faith that sustains and fight to protect all they hold dear—even if it means placing their own futures on the line.

My thoughts: Stepping onto the pages of a historical novel can be a journey of the heart, mind, and spirit. Our heart is moved by the people and events as the author fleshes out the story. Our mind is engaged with a particular piece of history that draws us toward study and research. And our spirit is moved at the way God moves in the affairs of man.

Kristy Cambron captured my mind and readership with her first book, The Butterfly and the Violin (check my review). Now she has flawlessly continued the story here in The Sparrow of Terezin. Pages are mingled with a two-pronged story - current day and war torn 1940s Europe. While reading The Butterfly and the Violin first enhances the reader's enjoyment of the Sparrow book, the reader can begin with book two with quick identification of characters and involvement in the story.

My curiosity often interrupts my fictional reading and I divert my attention to a bit of research. Terezin was a concentration camp (or "ideal" Jewish settlement). Interned there were over 32,000 - men, women, and children. This was a place where noteworthy Jewish individuals in the arts - performers, composers, and artists - were interned. Works of art were created within the walls of this place of sorrow. Wikipedia

Two romances - one contemporary, one in war torn Europe. Glimpses into a Nazi concentration camp and its treatment of innocents - children. The past connected to the present. Written by a wordsmith that will truly capture the reader.

15 comments:

Not a whole lot to be truthful with you. None of my relatives fought in this war that I am aware of. What drew me into this book and the one before it wa the covers. They are breathtakingly beautiful. After being drawn into the cover I picked up the books and really want to read both. The reviews I've seen are rave reviews. I am excited at the thought of reading the books and doing some research on this subject to learn more as it fascinates me. The storie are hauntingly beautiful !

I know somewhat about WWII & concentration camps. I had many great uncles that were in WWII and in 1987, when I was 17, we went to Dauchau(sp?) Concentration Camp in Germany. Back then I didn't appreciate history that much but now that I'm older I do. It helps that my husband is a history buff ;) Our girls are 19 and 21 and are both interested in history.

I've done quite a bit of reading about World War II so that's where my knowledge of it comes from. I have several uncles who served during the war but didn't talk much about their experiences. I think it's important the stories of that time be told.

The Holocaust is such a powerful part of history. I visited Dachau several years ago and it was such an emotional experience. The horrors experienced there by innocent people is heart wrenching. The stories of hope even through such devastation are amazing and show that God is with us always.

My grandfather served under Patton in Germany during WWII and I have always wondered what that was like for him and the things he saw and experienced. He died before I was born, but I have many things of his from the war that I cherish. My husband's grandfather served in the war here in the states guarding German POWs. His family is German and since he spoke fluent German he was assigned with that duty. If he were still alive I would love to hear the stories he would probably have to tell.

I've read many books and watched many movies about WWII. It is an interesting time to read about. Some of it is terribly sad. Exodus by Leon Uris is one of my all-time favorite books. More recently, I read two very good books by Bruce Judisch, Katia and For Maria.

I once heard a Holocaust survivor speak of his experiences. It brought tears to my eyes. I also am aware of the Shoah project where survivors recorded their stories for history to be preserved and for future generations not to forget and to learn from. marypopmom (at) yahoo (dot) comMerry

A lot of what I've learned is from reading historical fiction (like The Butterfly and the Violin). Sigmund Brouwer in his novel Thief of Glory looks at the Japanese internment camps, which is interesting to compare and contrast to those in Europe. In terms of horrific death, though, the Nazis the were the experts.

I keep hearing great things about this author and have had The Butterfly and the Violin on my list for a while. I need to bump it up so I can read it right away! Thanks for sharing this at Booknificent Thursday!Tina

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"Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life." John 5:24

__________________________"Courage is fear that has said it's prayers."(pg. 129 A Wedding for Julia by Vannetta Chapman)

You can never learn that Christ is all you need, until Christ is all you have ~Corrie Ten Boom

"God has a very unique way of scooping up the shattered fragments of our hopes and dreams and molding them into a plan of His own - a plan vastly different from ours, but far more wonderful."--Anita Dittman, Holocaust survivor

Man has a madness to misuse that which his mind has manufactured.--Vera G.

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To achieve great things, two things are needed: a plan, and not quite enough time.— Leonard Bernstein

Some of the people who have impacted me have been as ships that pass in the night. A brief encounter that none-the-less leaves a wake that lifts and floats you and somehow impacts you. Friends are not always forever. They are sometimes like ships in the night – passing briefly and casting a radiance on our being.--Vera

As each new chapter unfolds, we look at past days with wishful sighs longing for the sweetness of them. But each new dawn brings exciting adventures for the growing child to embrace as an adult and for the parent to embrace as one who has launched a wonderful ship on the sea of life.

When play is the work of children and imagination the fuel of discovery, the longings of a child's heart become fantastically real to them enabling them to engage in a world of wonder.

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